TOUR 3: MENGWI ~ BEDUGUL ~ TANAH LOT

Firstly we will stop at Mengwi, to visit the magnificent royal family temple of Taman Ayun(XVII century) surrounded by a moat, then we will explore the Bedugul area. A mountain resort lies over 1000 meters above sea level. We will stop at Ulun Danu Bratan Temple, built on promontory surrounded by lake’s water. Afterwards, we will visit at colourful local fruit market that displays many kinds of tropical fruit, vegetables, flowers and spices. Then we proceed to Bali Botanical Garden, with a large collection of plants from all over the world set in lovely garden and well manicured lawns, a peaceful refugee from daily activities in a bustling city. Continuing the trip, we will proceed to Alas Kedaton, to see fruit bats and the monkey forest. Our next stop is the marine temple of Tanah Lot. This lovely temple was built on a cliff promontory, truly a perfect setting to watch the stunning sunset (weather permitting).

MENGWI
Eighteen kilometers northwest of Denpasar city, this small village has a glittering history as the capital of a powerful 17th century kingdom and is the site of an important temple from that era. The once great realm of Mengwi arose with the weakening of Gelgel in east Bali around 1650.
The most splendid remainder from Mengwi’s former glory is indisputably the Pura Taman Ayun. This is probably the largest existing Balinese house temple, built in the middle of the 18th century by Mengwi’s greatest king. The temple is surrounded by a wide moat that gives impression of a sanctuary in the middle of a pond. The waters are a symbolic place of contact with the divine through celestial nymphs who bath in the pond. It is a state temple to worship the ancestors of the royal dynasty of Mengwi kingdom.

BALI ULUN DANU BERATAN TEMPLE
Bali Ulun Danu Beratan Temple is a temple dedicated to the goddess of the lake is Ida Batari Dewi Ulun Danu on the edge of a huge crater. The dominant shrines are Meru’s (pagodas) dedicated to the lake goddess and the gods of Mount Batur and Mount Gunung Agung, the largest volcano in Bali. The sight and cool atmosphere of the Bali uplands have made the lake and this temple a favourite sightseeing and recreational spot as well as a frequently photographed site. Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, literally ‘the source temple of Lake Beratan’, is easily the island’s most iconic sanctuary sharing the scenic qualities with the seaside temples of Uluwatu Temple and Tanah Lot Temple. The smooth reflective surface of the lake surrounding most of the temple’s base creates a unique floating impression, while the mountain range of the Bedugul region encircling the lake provides the temple with a scenic backdrop.

BEDUGAL MARKET
Bali Candi Kuning Market is the name of traditional fruit and vegetable market situated in the mountain area of Bedugul Bali. It is strategically located beside of the main road from Denpasar to Singaraja and many visited by tourists or local people who pass this market. The fruits and vegetable are displayed look fresh due to it supplied from the local agriculture field surrounding area. Candi Kuning Market can be visited when passing main road from or to Singaraja.

BALI BOTANICAL GARDEN
Bali Bedugul Botanical Garden is located in at bedugul village, baturiti district, tabanan regency, 1240 meters above sea level, it is about 62 km from denpasar and can be reach by motorcycle as the road are fairly goods. Bali botanical garden is unique in Bali as a place for botanical research, conservations, recreation, and educations, it provide a place where you can relax in beautiful an peaceful surrounds while learning about the function of plants in the daily life of Balinese as well as some interesting rain forest plantations and birdlife.

ALAS KEDATON
There are tame monkeys in Alas Kedaton and free gallivanting in temple yard, so that the calm atmosphere is sometime solved by noise voice of the monkey, which are playing around and scrambling of food. The monkeys who dwell in this forest, there are jump up and down in temple wall, take a bath in moat or there is also hang out in few leaves representing impression view. The monkey like as custodian of temple, which are always ready to greet all visitorS. You will see also bats and some other animals in Kedaton forest . At least 24 types of grove plant have been identified in Alas Kedaton. Entrance fee is about IDR 20.000 per person.

TANAH LOT (Pura Tanah Lot)
Tanah Lot, one of the most popular places of interest in Bali, is located on the coast of West Bali, at the village of Beraban in the Tabanan Regency. It is also called Tanah Let which means ancient land and also Tanah Lod, which means the land to the south.

The temple Pura Tanah Lot was built in around 16th century by the priest Dang Hyang Nirartha. Simple in it’s construction, is dramatic in it’s ocean-front location and is one of the main temples in the worship of Balinese gods.

Tanah Lot has a long history in the world of tourism. The temple itself is built on a small promontory which is only accessible at low tide. During high water the rock takes on the appearance of a large boat at sea, such is its shape. Poisonous snakes live in the nearby caves to ‘guard’ the temple and contribute to the temple’s dangerous reputation.

Sunset is the best time to visit Tanah lot, when the golden red skies frame the temple and waves crash into the rocks.